Of Wax and Feathers
by angelkicat
Summary: Fairy tales were always childish and cute, and then as we grew up, we realized what they really meant and how wrong we were. (Neji-centered; One-shot)


_**

* * *

Of Wax and Feathers**_

* * *

"Father, Father!" A young boy of five years ran up to his father. "Mother says that you tell good stories!" 

The man sighed and turned to the boy with a smile tugging at his lips. "You were bothering her in the kitchen again, weren't you?" he said as he looked at the boy curiously.

The boy pouted slightly and tried to look innocent, "No.... I wasn't"

The man gave a small chuckle at his son's behavior and sat upon the floor beside the table.

"Alright, I'll tell you a story."

"Yay!" he said jumping up on the father's lap. "Tell me a really good one."

"I'll tell you an old one, and you tell me how you like it."

"If it's bad can I have another story?"

"No, you may not." The man chuckled at the child's antics again. "I'm busy, you know."

"Alright." He pouted, "start! Start!" the child said, prodding his father with a small chubby finger.

"It's the story of a boy and his father," he began, "they were trapped on an island by a cruel man and they couldn't get out by sea or land because those ways were guarded-"

"Father? Why did the cruel man trap them on an island?"

"Hush. No questions, just listen."

"But..."

"Do you want a story or not?"

"Yes"

"Where was I? Oh, yes. The only way that they could escape, was through the air"

The little boy looked up at his father curiously, but he paid no heed and continued. "The father was a brilliant man and used wax and feathers and branches from the island to make wings. He used the branches like bones," he used hand gestures to demonstrate it to the small child on his lap, "and put the wax like a glue to keep the feathers on."

"Is that really possible?"

"No, it isn't and don't try it. Now hush." The boy nodded. "So the father, whose name was Daedalus, made wings for himself and for his son Icarus.

Daedalus warned his son of the danger of flying too high or too low. If he was too low, the waves would soak the wings, and if he was too high, the sun would melt the wax." The boy listened attentively as his father's hands complimented his words. "But Icarus, thrilled with the feeling of flight, did not listen to his father and flew up and up, higher and higher until the wax of his wings began to melt and his wings fell apart and he fell to his death upon the ocean below him."

"What happened to his father, Deedles-es?"

"Daedalus. Daedalus watched his own son fall, but he escaped successfully.

"That is a sad story, Father."

"It is."

"May I have a happy story now?"

A pair of footsteps were heard and a man called from outside into the house.

"Hizashi! The elders have called a meeting today, we need to go!" said the familiar voice.

The father looked at the boy.

"Maybe some other day, alright?"

"Alright."

The father got up and went to place his palm on the door handle, as he was already dressed to leave.

"And what have we learned?"

"Ummm.... always listen to your father?" The boy looked up with eyes smiling as he guessed.

The man laughed as he opened the door. "Yes. But also, Neji, never let me see you fall."

Within a second the door shut and footsteps were heard as they moved farther from the house. Leaving a bewildered boy.

The boy look out the nearest window and saw a couple sparrows gliding through the sky.

"I wish I could fly," he said wistfully.

_

* * *

_

_:::::Those who want happy endings, must write their own:::::_

__

_-End-_

* * *

Angelkicat- This was, as I believe, one of my best works yet. I loved it. It's so..so... -**sigh-** lovely? I'm not being conceited here too. 

On a note, if anyone has issues of Hizashi not being nice to his son or something, deal with it. I mean, if you notice that Neji told his dad that Hinata was cute, come on! They MUST have some sort of good relationship, don't you think? Those people who compare him to Sasuke have got it a little twisted in my opinion, although their parents WERE killed (at least one of them). -shrugs- If you ask me, all the characters are similar one way or another. Okay, now I'm just ranting.

I'll shut up now.

P.S.- As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.


End file.
